The Best of Local Produce

They say that you are what you eat. The better the produce the better the meal on your plate. Perthshire is blessed with great locally grown and produced food.

by Nicola Martin

It’s getting close to that time of year when we sit around and make resolutions to stop this or start that. Diets, healthier living and lifestyle choices always come near the top of the list but somehow by mid February we’ve slipped into old habits and are back to supermarket ready made meals in front of the TV.

Now, I’m not one to condone faddy diets and cutting whole food groups out of your daily consumption but I do know that its becoming easier and easier to choose quality, seasonal produce that will score you a tick in both the healthy choice and the green box.

Perthshire is one of the best regions in Scotland when it comes to making the choice to buy local produce. Rich in agricultural land, we have always been blessed with an abundance of quality ingredients and talented food producers. There was a time when this was parcelled up and sold outwith the area to the highest bidder but thankfully, in recent years our wonderful produce has been made easily accessible to all.

Perth Farmers Market started the trend almost nine years ago when it set up a old style market place for producers to sell directly to the consumers. Its come a long way since then and now boasts an average of 35 producers each first Saturday of the month. The producers have also grown and become more consumer aware with organic ready made meals from Tasty at Jamesfield sitting alongside oven ready beef pies and every type of sausage you can imagine.

The success of the Farmers Market and the attention it brought to the benefits of eating local made way for the Farm Shops. Speak to any farmer running a successful farm shop venture and he or she will tell you that they borne out of the monthly market and the demand it created for their fantastic produce. Now of course, these small farm gate concerns have grown into must see destinations – have you ever tried to get a table at Gloagburn in Tibbermore on a Tuesday afternoon? They have opened up the minds of farmers and consumers alike and the end result is fantastic projects such as Jamesfield’s Organic Centre at Abernethy which now offers alongside its butcher shop a selection of organic and environmentally friendly groceries and household items, a waitress service Restaurant and a selection of ethically sourced gifts.

Brig Farm Shop also offers a sit in experience while you pick up your locally sourced produce and the views down the Earn and over the fields are unrivalled. For speciality goodies try Stewart Tower Dairy who uses his own dairy herd to produce Moo, the base icecream and then adds locally sourced products to give Pink Panther (strawberry) and HoneyComb (honey) amongst other flavours.

All of the farm shops mentioned are within a half hour drive of Perth City Centre and many are simply 10minutes out the road. Choosing local produce not only gives you a sense of well being, satisfying your appetite and your tastebuds as well as your environmental correctness. It’s also a great way to see more of your county.

For further details of Perthshire Produce please contact Kay Lamb at Economic Development for a Perthshire Produce Guide. 01738 477945.